[FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE] You Can Bet Trump’s Debate Prep Was a Total Shitshow

By artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 7:36pm |

My latest, for your reading pleasure:

You Can Bet Trump’s Debate Prep Was a Total Shitshow https://t.co/vLN95NLK6F via @thedailybeast
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) September 29, 2020

URL:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-debate-prep-heres-how-trumps-really-getting-ready-for-biden?source=twitter&via=desktop

8994 reads

Comments

It's true. @RyanLizza rewatched all of Trump’s 2015-16 debates. His takeaway: Trump is a much better debater than you may remember and it is Trump — not Biden — who is being underestimated going into tonight. https://t.co/i17hhfLOIv
— POLITICO (@politico) September 29, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 7:38pm

Joe sez:

It’s debate night, so I’ve got my earpiece and performance enhancers ready. pic.twitter.com/EhOiWdjh1b
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 29, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 7:40pm

Drumpf sez:

Just arrived in the Great State of Ohio. Real Polls have us leading by even more than 2016. With Biden being against Fracking (Energy & Jobs) & your Second Amendment, we should be in very good shape!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 29, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 7:43pm

Daniel Dale will live fact check as far as possible on Twitter:

I'll be tweeting debate fact checks in as close to real time as possible.

Note: if I don't do something immediately on Twitter, that doesn't mean it’s not being done at all. Claims they haven't uttered before, or where they've changed up the wording, require research first. 1/2
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 29, 2020

In addition, a good CNN team will be doing a big, running fact check article on our site during and after the debate, so I’d encourage you to go there. And you can tune in to CNN post-debate for a bunch of out-loud fact checks from me.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 29, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 8:14pm

And Biden campaign is going to do live spin/war room, having procured quite the Twitter handle:

The Biden campaign and DNC War Room teams have secured the handle @Truth on Twitter, which they will use to fact-check President Trump in real time during Tuesday's debate, a campaign aide confirms to CNN.
— Sarah Mucha (@sarahmucha) September 29, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 8:19pm

There are usually around 1,000 people in attendance.

Tonight’s there’s less than 100. #Debates https://t.co/771kzWZxXa
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 30, 2020

She’s in Row A, but I’m in Row G.

What gives??? #Debates pic.twitter.com/7q4d0jvUpN
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 8:47pm

We can't do 2 more of these #Debate2020. No. Uh-uh. No way. I'm done. Don't need to do this again. Let's just #Vote.
— Michael Steele (@MichaelSteele) September 30, 2020

For the first time ever, America begs for a commercial break.
— Julian Zelizer (@julianzelizer) September 30, 2020

Joe's smile is a good reaction. Trump is trying to get under his skin and it's not working.
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) September 30, 2020

Standard Trump formula, controls the narrative, monopolises the media. https://t.co/oPgMwvVaQB
— Zoe Daniel (@zdaniel) September 30, 2020

The weird thing about Trump's debate strategy is that every voter who turns this off in disgust is not saying "I've seen enough. I'm voting for Trump."
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) September 30, 2020

America is exhausted, and badly damaged, by the chaos.

Does anyone want four more years of this?
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) September 30, 2020

Donald Trump will turn on the distraction machine and try to get the Twittersphere going. @JoeBiden will demonstrate what it will be like to have a president who levels with us.

Two very different people, and two very different futures. pic.twitter.com/APaRSEMxym
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 9:39pm

Trump should be debating Biden, not the moderator.

He’s currently in control, but I’m not sure if snipin at Chris Wallace helps him. #Debates2020
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 30, 2020

My undecided focus group does not like Trump’s tone at all. #Debates2020

The @LATimes will be live-streaming their reaction after the debate: https://t.co/yq96dVaVFd
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 30, 2020

My group of undecided voters don’t mind Trump challenging Biden – but they want to hear the questions from Chris Wallace.

Trump is pushing too hard. #Debates2020
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 30, 2020

Biden should not have told Trump to shut up.

Trump has rattled him, and it’s not a good look for Biden. #Debates2020
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 30, 2020

My group of undecided voters are telling me this is like reality TV… Except it’s the destruction of America that we’re watching. #Debates2020
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 30, 2020

This vicious back-and-forth is hurting both candidates.

My undecided group says neither currently looks presidential. #Debates2020
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 30, 2020

Trump is in total control of the debate stage, but he’s too rude to win over many new votes.

I would like to use this debate to teach my students how to communicate, but I can’t. It would be unfair to my students. #Debates2020
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 30, 2020

My undecided group just finds this debate funny: “I’ve honestly not laughed this hard in months.”

They don’t mean that in a good way – this ugliness isn’t working for either of the candidates. #Debates2020
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 9:49pm

More from Luntz's focus group of 16 undecideds @ Vox:

Frank Luntz asked his focus group to describe each candidate's debate performance in one word or phrase and, wellhttps://t.co/Y9rTc63ync pic.twitter.com/RH0W7mPzl6
— Andrew Prokop (@awprokop) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 12:34am

CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES. It is impossible to have an orderly, productive exchange with Donald Trump. Stop pretending otherwise. #Debate2020
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) September 30, 2020

Perhaps we could also debate by mail.
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) September 30, 2020

Step back for a second. Trump got a Fox News reporter — the serious one, but still — to moderate the first debate. And he's managed to force the moderator from Fox News to basically scold him all night.
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) September 30, 2020

Even if you're a Fox News stan, you're seeing someone you trust lose patience with Trump.

A lot of pundits think Americans will just vote for whoever seems like more of a Silverback Gorilla. But most people don't like jerks, and Trump is coming off as an unbelievable jerk.
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) September 30, 2020

I don't particularly think Joe Biden is winning this debate. But you have to have a very low opinion of the American people not to see that Trump is losing it.
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) September 30, 2020

"Why didn't you reverse my tax cuts before I took office" is just an amazing debating point. Trump isn't making arguments. He's just saying stuff.
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 10:01pm

My only comment:

More than an hour in, Trump never speaks to the camera, only to Wallace, he's debating with Wallace and his questions every single time.

Rarely has he talked directly to Biden, either, he refers to him in the third person. Though he listens to Biden's statements with an angry face (as if he is watching him on TV.) Trump talks only about himself and his record, not the nation.

Joe tries very hard to return to talking and looking at the audience every single time, talking to the voter and what the nation needs.

Trump talks about what he wants to see happen. It's a selling-a-dictator-vision approach. Not any different than like, a Limbaugh lecture.

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 10:10pm

Jon Meachem:

No hyperbole: The incumbent’s behavior this evening is the lowest moment in the history of the presidency since Andrew Johnson’s racist state papers.
— Jon Meacham (@jmeacham) September 30, 2020

I'm as tolerant of aggro interrupters as any woman I know. Yet even I feel a (sorry, it's real thing) feminine revulsion at Trump's belligerence.

tl/dr: I don't think Trump is helping himself with women.
— Autumn Alice (@AliceFromQueens) September 30, 2020

hehehehehehe:

Mike Baker, Seattle Bureau Chief
Happening now:

After Trump claimed that the sheriff in Portland came out in support of him, Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese has responded with a message on Twitter: “I have never supported Donald Trump and will never support him.”
— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) September 30, 2020

Biden clearly disavowed "The Green New Deal":

BIDEN: "That is not my plan. The Green New Deal is not my plan."
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) September 30, 2020

SUMMARY: You can see Trump thinking in real time—waiting for an opening to throw in an irrelevant buzzword that lets him go on a rant; there was almost a serious conversation about climate change—then Trump went off on the Green New Deal (which no one had mentioned) #Debates2020
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) September 30, 2020

let me make this clearer: Trump’s task isn’t to dominate Biden and rev up his base — they are already revved up as much as they could possibly be. Trump’s task is to convince skeptical voters he has a handle on the challenges facing the country. and that’s not happening.
— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 10:20pm

Trump arguing he's smart. pic.twitter.com/oPIWIYaTyK
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) September 30, 2020

Biden about Trump:
"He wouldn't know a suburb unless he took a wrong turn."#Debates2020
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 30, 2020

I feel like I'm watching a fight in the principal's office.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 30, 2020

pic.twitter.com/PLamNDIGot
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 30, 2020

Donald Trump is a child. He's weak. He's unhinged. He's desperate.

And he's sweaty.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 30, 2020

This is a colossal waste of the American people’s time. If they are not going to cut his mic so we can have an exchange of ideas, then Biden should not attend any more debates,
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) September 30, 2020

Just gonna leave this here. pic.twitter.com/pVUoBxYeJq
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 10:31pm

Who will be insane enough to want to be a moderator of any future debate?

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 10:37pm

Brian Stelter of CNN's "Reliable Sources" has whipped out a piece on the moderator problem:

In media circles, one of the big Q after the debate was: Would ANY journalist have been able to corral Trump? Or was it an impossible mission?https://t.co/5Jv0xrwp9N
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 12:06am

Mike Murphy:

I'll be on MSNBC to recap debate in 15 minutes. My headline: Trump v Democracy. I predict Democracy wins in end. Trump did nothing to fix his many political problems. Biden uneven, but did well enough... in a crazy situation created by Trump that embarrassed our country.
— Mike Murphy (@murphymike) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 10:51pm

No sympathy for Beau Biden.

It is what it is because Trump is who he is.

Wallace could not calm Trump down,

I agree other moderators may opt out.

by rmrd0000 on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 10:53pm

Trump could not condemn white supremacists.

by rmrd0000 on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 10:59pm

Kamala Harris was just interviewed right now by Brian Williams on MSNBC. I noticed that she couldn't hold back laughter during answering nearly every question.

Carville next, said it was hard to get through it even for him: "tough television, wuff!" Really sounded amazed and puzzled that Trump "wasn't even trying to win the election!"

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 11:05pm

Really sounded amazed and puzzled that Trump "wasn't even trying to win the election!"

Deja vu all over again.

by A Guy Called LULU on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 11:22pm

.@NicolleDWallace has it right: “Trump wasn’t debating; he was lifting his leg and peeing on democracy.”
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) September 30, 2020

Yes, @NicolleDWallace makes a great point: Chris Wallace trying to calm down the abusive drunk uncle at the table by saying "You're gonna like the next question" was so surreal.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) September 30, 2020

The lowest point in American political culture in my lifetime.
— Andrew Sullivan (@sullydish) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 11:10pm

My intention was to tweet during tonight’s debate. I just picked my chin up off the floor and now I’m going to bed. Goodnight everyone. pic.twitter.com/xz17wvYnl0
— Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) September 30, 2020

Jake Tapper: “That was a hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck. That was the worst debate I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t even a debate, it was a disgrace. And it’s primarily because of President Trump.”
— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) September 30, 2020

Axelrod is right. Trump may have lost the presidency tonight.
— Neera -Vote Early- Tanden (@neeratanden) September 30, 2020

I agree:

Covid seemed weirdly inert to me as a debate topic. Just not interesting somehow, from any angle #PresidentialDebates2020
— Walter Kirn (@walterkirn) September 30, 2020

which suggests: Trump as always, made everything about Trump! He's just plain amazingly insidious! And a reminder that he and his fans are not going away even if leaving office. So somehow the world has to learn to deal with this, for want of a better description, his postmodern style domination of narrative and fans that fall for that. Others will have learned from him how to do this and may end up doing it more skillfully.

Edit to add: was telling that Carville said all of the panel with all their combined experience, they haven't a clue how to handle this. It's a totally new system if people continue to do this.

by artappraiser on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 11:24pm

Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump

by NCD on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 11:28pm

really, how'd he do that?

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 12:04am

The white supremacists got the message. Stand back and Stand by.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden then stepped in with an attempt to correct his opponent on stage. “Antifa is an idea, not an organization,” he said, before Trump cut in.

“You have to be kidding,” the president scoffed.

The former vice president was referencing comments made by FBI director Chris Wray, who said earlier this month during testimony that antifa is “not a group or an organization. It’s a movement or an ideology.” Wray also testified that white supremacist violence makes up the lion’s share of the U.S. domestic terrorism threat.

Outside of the debate, Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs saw Trump’s remarks as permission to “fuck up” the group’s foes.

“Trump basically said to go fuck them up!” Biggs wrote on Parler, an alternative social media network that courts conservatives. “This makes me so happy.”

Other Proud Boys leaders posted on Parler and Telegram, another social network popular with far-right figures banned, that they would follow Trump’s request to “stand down and stand by.”

“I will stand down sir!!!” Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio wrote on Parler. “Standing by sir. So Proud of my guys right now.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-refuses-to-condemn-white-supremacists-says-this-is-not-a-right-wing-problem?ref=home

by rmrd0000 on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 11:32pm

Interesting developing, bears watching for more analysis:

One cool thing about the methods here is that they weight to a 2020 electorate (as opposed to whatever audience happened to watch the debate).

This makes the result less lopsided than the CNN poll but really drives home that tons of Trump voters thought Biden won. https://t.co/XJatQdODdP
— (((David Shor))) (@davidshor) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 12:09am

Maggie Haberman retweeted, sounds right to me:

The reason Trump is losing women, independent voters, suburban voters is that they are exhausted by the chaos, the constant attacks and drama. He is leaning into all of that in this debate.
— amy walter (@amyewalter) September 30, 2020

(This is also why the protesters into personally bullying these demographics are using counter-productive tactics, as roving bands of mini bullies replacing the big bully is not exactly inspiring of "get out and vote." And like it or not, no matter the intent, they are basically pro-order and anti-chaos. Causing chaos is exciting and desirable when you don't have anything to do; they mostly have stuff to do.)

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 12:20am

Touchy feely Joe is basically a feature with women, not a bug.

Sometimes contrasting how each expressed love speaks as much volume as words (and damnit words effing mattered tonight on stage). pic.twitter.com/0YWK4fQI9j
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) September 30, 2020

It's only some men who find the Stepford wife thing appealing. Ok maybe Anne Coulter types too, but she like makes herself the exception not the rule.

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 12:26am

Good pivot to covid, covid, covid, redirect from the culture wars:

Joe Biden cited a horrific statistic to argue that President Trump has not been good for Black Americans: 1 in 1,000 Black Americans have died in the Covid-19 pandemic.

The most remarkable thing about Biden’s statement? It was true. https://t.co/wWorg7H1bi #Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/sLvTo5fJeh
— Vox (@voxdotcom) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 12:30am

Rare instance of Nate Silver waxing macro:

Just in case this isn't clear enough yet, I think there's likely to be a fairly trade-off between the chance that Trump can win the election legitimately, and the degree to which he tries to pull from the authoritarian playbook by seeking to undermine the election.
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 12:38am

Bill Kristol appalled:

The debate “was a disgrace because of the behavior of one man, Donald Trump. The interrupting and the bullying, the absence of both decency and dignity— gave the affair the rare and sickening character of a national humiliation.” ⁦@BillKristol⁩ https://t.co/Ml0eE1ICry
— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 12:46am

Drudge right now: pic.twitter.com/EnVWUsyMeO
— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 12:59am

Mary Trump:

The media need to stop giving Donald the benefit of the doubt. His debate performance was a grotesque combination of lies, racism, breathtaking callousness, and threats against our democracy.#Resist #VOTE #BidenHarris2020
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) September 30, 2020

He is being allowed, on national television, to sow uncertainty about the upcoming election. Everything he just said is a lie. Everything. He is the fraud.
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) September 30, 2020

Interrupting Vice President Biden's comments about his son Beau to pivot to lies about Hunter Biden should alone totally disqualify Donald. What a disgrace. What a traitor.
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 1:11am

NYTimes is being more critical of Trump than WaPo with their headlines on the debate:

Here are the Wednesday front pages of The New York Times and The Washington Post. pic.twitter.com/QMYeapaJl0
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) September 30, 2020

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 1:16am

I was sleeping through the debate. But worth noting that Trump's rat-fucker has close ties to the Proud Boys and that rat-fucker arranged voter intimidation events in swing states in 2016.
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) September 30, 2020

by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 1:23am

FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos poll:

Our post-debate poll with Ipsos is out, and it finds voters thought Biden did well and Trump did poorly. Also hints of a *bit* of topline movement toward Biden, though most voters stuck with their initial preferences.https://t.co/ZqIQTrcXWu
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) September 30, 2020

Disheartening, I know, that we still have such a large percentage of politically-interested people who think that a performance like Trump's last night is "winning".

But strikes me-DOH-that many of us had been in denial about them, as when before Trump came along, we were interacting with them on the internets, we knew they were there the whole time, it's just we fled to places where a moderator (or social media tools) kept the bullies away from us!

As far as the election is concerned, it was never required that a lot of people change their minds (after all, Hillary won the majority vote); with the Electoral College situation, it's those very few swings in the very few swing states that are always the problem.

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 2:27pm

No surprises here. The damage is done. https://t.co/DXG0UE9yAa
— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) September 30, 2020

It's always the knee-jerk narcissism first and foremost, whoever supports him he doesn't want to dis.

And that's why he tries to walk things back like this, too, to keep as many that were fans that might be offended.

It's always to keep as large of a ratings audience as possible, not ideological.

This is why he still turns around and tries to woo African-American conservatives too.

So to the question of is he racist or is he a believer in white supremacy, to just say yes is not fulling understanding what he does. He is neither really, he's a believer in Trump supremacy, that he's smarter and better than anyone else and deserves adoration for that reason.

So any group that offers the adoration, he doesn't want to lose them. But he also doesn't want to turn off another supporting group that might not like another one. The are all fine people!

by artappraiser on Wed, 09/30/2020 - 6:25pm

[FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE] You Can Bet Trump’s Debate Prep Was a Total Shitshow

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